An Alternative to Destination Boycotts: SocialOffset

Tyler Davidson

Many organizations, and especially associations, are challenged by legislation and policies that are counter to the values of their members, such as "bathroom bills" and statewide measures outlawing abortion. The firm opposition to these laws leads some to consider canceling their meetings in the destinations in which the laws were passed. 

But canceling or moving meetings, aka destination boycotts, can lead to legal and financial exposure and also impact those in the destination that rely on meetings and conventions to make a living, such as hotel, restaurant and transportation workers, among many others.

[Related: Use This Contract Clause to Protect Your Meeting From Destination Boycotts]

To provide an alternative to cancelation, or attendees deciding to not participate in a meeting or convention, meetings industry veterans Beth Surmont and Elena Gerstmann created SocialOffset, which allows attendees and organizations to donate to charities that counter the legislation and policies in question.

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson talked with Surmont and Gerstmann to discover what SocialOffset, now in its pilot phase, brings to the conversation about destination boycotts, especially in the association segment.

[Related: Association Chat's KiKi L'Italien on ASAE's Annual and Current Association Trends]

Listen to the episode:

 

On-Demand Webinar: Destination Boycotts: What Meeting Planners Need to Know 

SocialOffset's Elena Gerstmann and Beth Surmont.

Read Next: Anti-Abortion Laws Threaten Meetings Industry With Escalating Destination Boycotts

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About the author
Tyler Davidson | Editor, Vice President & Chief Content Director

Tyler Davidson is the vice president and chief content director for Meetings Today, which publishes the meetings industry trade magazine Meetings Today as well as MeetingsToday.com, various newsletters, webinars, the in-person Meetings Today LIVE! Hosted-buyer events and other meetings and events industry B2B channels.

 

Tyler has covered the travel trade for nearly 35 years.  In his role with Meetings Today, which recently won the prestigious FOLIO: Eddies Award for best magazine issue, Tyler leads the editorial team on its mission to provide the most in-depth meetings content in the industry. Previously, he worked as the Asia, Canada, Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. editor at Travel Weekly magazine and TravelAge West. Before joining the dual editorial staff producing destination sections for Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, Tyler was the Africa, Israel, Middle East, Switzerland and Pacific Northwest editor at TravelAge West. He also undertook general news and feature assignments while working at the magazines. 

 

Besides reporting on the travel trade, Tyler has covered the real estate industry, held various editorial positions at the San Francisco-based national satire magazine The Nose, wrote freelance technology industry pieces and covered the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders for a bilingual newspaper in San Francisco. He has a B.A. in Journalism from San Francisco State University, where he worked in various editorial capacities on its award-winning student magazine, Prism. 

Contact: tyler.davidson@meetingstoday.com

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